


Shield Me From the Storm

by Lady_Phenyx



Series: Whumptober 2019 [6]
Category: Mumintroll | Moomins Series - Tove Jansson, 楽しいムーミン一家 | Moomin (Anime 1990)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, ask to tag, good dad Moominpappa
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 20:36:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20895746
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Phenyx/pseuds/Lady_Phenyx
Summary: Snufkin, Moomin, and Moominpappa are on a small adventure, hiking up the Lonely Mountain, when a sudden storm hits.Whumptober Day 4: Human Shield





	Shield Me From the Storm

Every so often, Moominpappa would get some sort of idea in his head, about adventure or reclaiming his youth or some such thing.

Most of the time, it was best to just go along with the ride for a bit, and let him tire himself out before gently redirecting him back to normal before he hurt himself. A day or two of adventure, a few weeks of exercising, would be the change he needed to let things slide back to roughly how they'd been.

They were about due for one, so no one was really surprised when Moominpappa suggested an adventure.

Moomin and Snufkin had already been planning to go up to the Lonely Mountain for a day or two, so it was decided that Moominpappa would join their trip.

They set off before dawn into a day that promised to be clear and lovely, a good day for walking in the forest and up mountains – the kind of day people thought of when they romanticized traveling.

They weren't going fast, but that didn't matter. They didn't have a set destination in mind, and no schedules to keep to. So if the three of them were to meander along, taking in the sights and telling stories or walking in comfortable silence, then they could.

They had to go slower than usual when they started up the mountain, as Moominpappa was a little more out of shape than he'd thought and much more unused to the climbing than they were.

Snufkin watched the sky as he paused at the top of one of the trail's turns, waiting for the other two to catch up.

“Looks like rain,” he said as they did.

Moominpappa looked up, sniffing the sky. “Oh, dear, I think you're right. We'd best push on. Do you know a place we could find shelter if it does?”

Snufkin shrugged. “Depends on how far we get. I don't want to be on top of a mountain in a lightning storm.”

“I thought you liked being in storms,” Moomin asked as they started walking again.

“The start of them, yes, but it's dangerous to be on the highest ground when there's lightning,” Snufkin said. “I don't want to end up like Snorkmaiden, I've gotten enough forebodings from my father without adding that to it.”

They laughed, and the stories changed to comparing Joxter's forebodings to the strange week a strike of lightning had made Snorkmaiden psychic.

\---XXX---

The clouds moved in as they walked up the mountain, and Snufkin glanced at them often. Part of him said to go back, that going up the mountain was dangerous, but...

He glanced back at Moomin and Moominpappa, who were having such a good time. At this pace they wouldn't make the peak before it hit, which was a good thing, but there was a shelter up ahead they might make. It would be a little tight, but this was company he wouldn't mind sharing close quarters with. It wouldn't be the first time, anyway.

As if it knew what he was thinking, the rain began.

Not with tentative drops or any sort of warning, but with the skies opening up, rain pounding down on them as if someone upended buckets over their heads, never ending buckets of solid sheets of water.

“There's shelter ahead!” Snufkin yelled over the roar of the rain, pointing.

The other two nodded and they set off at a run towards the overhang, Moominpappa and Snufkin hanging onto their hats as they bolted.

They were within sight of it when hail joined the rain. Snufkin paused, waving the other two on and pointing out the easily overlooked shelter, looking up at the sky as the hail rattled around them.

Small balls, at first, that suddenly turned to chunks the size of Snufkin's fist, some bigger than that.

Moominpappa grabbed Moomin, shoving him into the small space under the overhang. He got in behind his son, keeping his body between Moomin and the storm.

Snufkin raced for the overhang, skidding towards it.

He chucked his pack to the side as he did – it wouldn't fit with all three of them – and cried out in pain as a huge hailstone collided with his shoulder, driving him to the ground.

He cried out again in surprise as Moominpappa snatched at his smock, yanking him under the overhang next to Moomin, wrapping his arms around both of them protectively, hiding them underneath him.

It meant that at least some of Moominpappa's back was exposed, keeping both of the others hidden under the rock, and Moominpappa grunted softly as he was hit with the occasional hailstone but kept his arms around the two, shielding them from the storm.

Snufkin clung to Moominpappa's fur, as did Moomin, both of them trying to get him the rest of the way under the stone, but they were ignored. They were crushed tighter to his chest when they struggled, pulled in tighter until they couldn't move, could only hold tight and pray for the storm to be over.

The storm eased up soon after, lightening and clearing as swiftly as it had arrived.

Snufkin was pale from pain, but he was also the one tugging at Moominpappa's fur. “Let us out, you're hurt,” he said.

“You're hurt worse than I am,” Moominpappa said, taking off his hat and giving it a shake to dislodge the hail that had gathered on the brim.

“Pappa...” Moomin said, glancing between them both with worry.

Moominpappa turned, letting the younger two see his back. “You see? My fur stopped the worst of it,” he said. “Just a few small bruises.”

“Now, let's see that shoulder,” he added, turning back to Snufkin.

Snufkin protested, insisting that he was fine, they wanted to get to the top of the mountain, but he couldn't hold out long against both Moomin and Moominpappa combining their powers against him.

His scarf was unwound, smock partially unbuttoned and it and his shirt pulled off, and both Moomins hissed an indrawn breath at the bruise already forming between Snufkin's shoulder and collarbone, a painful looking red mark that was swiftly turning angry shades of purple.

Moomin brushed a paw against it and Snufkin pulled back with a soft hiss of pain.

Snufkin tried to smile up at them, pretending it wasn't so bad, but the smile was strained at the edges.

“Don't,” Moominpappa said gently. “You don't have to pretend around us. That's already painful, you can't carry your pack like that. We should head back to Moomin House and get you something for the pain.”

Snufkin began to protest, cut off by Moomin. “We'll climb Lonely Mountain another day,” he said gently. “All three of us, maybe more. It'll be fun. But it won't be fun if you're hurting. You'd want to turn back if it was one of us.”

Snufkin looked between them before sighing softly. “All right, if you're sure.”

Moominpappa nodded firmly, helping Snufkin to his feet. For a moment it looked as though he would pick Snufkin up, but Snufkin stepped away before he could, reaching for his pack, intending to carry it on his good shoulder.

“Oh no,” Moominpappa said, picking up Snufkin's pack before he could. “Not with that shoulder, you're not. I've got this.”

Moomin took Snufkin's paw and began to lead him back down the mountain.

\---XXX---

They were halfway back down when the pain really began to throb, making Snufkin's shoulder pulse with pain in time with his heartbeat.

He tried to ignore it, but his paleness let the other two, who knew him well by now, in on his secret, and they did their best to distract him. The stories and chatter was strained, and Snufkin wasn't managing to keep his mind on it, but it was something to latch onto that wasn't his shoulder.

Snufkin squeezed Moomin's paw gratefully.

The pain was making him a little lightheaded, and he was glad that it had happened in company, in this company. He could take care of himself, and if he'd been alone, would have. If it had been someone other than the Moomins, he would have defended his independence fiercely, refusing to allow the pain to show.

But here...it was safe to let it show, and to focus on walking through it, not wasting energy to try and pretend it didn't hurt as much as it did. Perhaps when they'd first met, or even a few short years ago, he still would have tried to hide quite how much it hurt, but no more.

As they walked, Snufkin found his eyes drawn to Moominpappa's broad back as he walked in front of them, carrying their packs in his hand, as his back was littered with bruises from the hail.

Perhaps it was being lightheaded that made Snufkin's lips loose, allowed the words to slip out. “You protected me.”

Moominpappa made a questioning noise from ahead, Moomin squeezing Snufkin's paw.

“You only should have sheltered Moomin, but you shielded me too,” Snufkin said, the pain making his voice thick, letting the words slip out when he would have kept them inside. “You wouldn't be hurt if you hadn't done that.”

Moominpappa paused, turning to look at them as they came up beside him. Snufkin was weaving slightly on his feet, still pale from pain, and the bruise was starting to peek out from under his smock, as Snufkin hadn't retied his scarf. It was painful to look at, even just the bit that peeked out, and the colors and size said it had been a harder blow than they'd thought.

Moominpappa reached out, rubbing Snufkin's upper arm, a bit uncomfortable. “Of course I did. I'm a tough old troll, I can take it. Could hardly let you get hurt again.”

Unspoken but carried in that touch was the rest of the message. _I will protect you. No matter what I have to do. You are loved. _

\---XXX---

Their arrival back at Moomin House caused concern, as they weren't expected back until tomorrow at the least.

Snufkin and Moominpappa were fussed over, Snufkin's shoulder exclaimed over – the bruise was huge and angry and he couldn't stand it being touched, could barely even take the pressure of his shirt against it anymore. Moominmamma fussed over them both, brewing up a pain tea for Snufkin, as she couldn't put salve on it when it was so tender and painful.

The tea was strong enough that Snufkin was leaning on Moomin within the quarter hour, eventually crawling into Moomin's lap and nuzzling against Moomin's shoulder as he fell asleep.

Moomin wrapped his arms around Snufkin, stroking his back and slowly falling asleep himself with Snufkin curled nearly on top of him, clinging in their sleep.

Moominmamma rested her head on Moominpappa's shoulder as they looked in on the two. Sighing, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

“I just wish...” he began, shushed gently by Moominmamma.

“I know, dear. You've the bruises to prove it,” she said. “And thank goodness you were there. If you hadn't...”

Moominpappa squeezed gently. “Well, a few bruises are nothing,” he said, glancing over at Snufkin and Moomin.

“You're a good pappa,” Moominmamma said, brushing a moomin kiss against his cheek. “For all of our children.”

**Author's Note:**

> Snorkmaiden Goes Psychic is the episode of the 90s anime, episode 51. She does, indeed, get struck by lightning while standing under a tree and becomes psychic. She gets hit on the head again later and loses the power. Poor Snorkmaiden, that's twice at least she gets smacked on the head!


End file.
